#Philosophy Canada

[sentientstump]

hopefully yall didnt see it yet, i keep forgetting (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)

and additional stuff woo

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

𝔙𝔬𝔦𝔳𝔬𝔡

[maryburrowes]

Life is... A sentence of punishment that our souls must go through, with moments of happiness to alleviate the suffering. If you're strong and keep going you will achieve an elevated point of going to paradise -- it does exist. People who give up will reincarnate in a worse situation. Don't give up. Relax and enjoy all the good moments life offers you... A good meal, good music, happy times with people who are important to you... Times will improve, better times are in the horizon. Live, Love, Laugh.

[buddhistmusings]

TW - Discussion of medically assisted death.

Without going too in depth, I do want to express two thoughts about medically assisted death. My position on the topic is still being deliberated, but I think there are two nuances people overlook.

The first is that there's this idea that medically assisted death helps somebody "die with dignity," which is a really misguided sentiment, in my opinion. People who die naturally, or people who continue to live through illness and/or disability, STILL HAVE DIGNITY. Dignity is not lost in the face of illness or suffering. The suggestion that it is preserved via assisted death implies that it would have otherwise been lost.

The second is the notion that medically assisted death provides relief. We associate it with relief because we see suffering stop, which is true, but one key feature of relief is that it's a sensation. It requires transitioning from a state of pain to a state of non-pain. We experience relief because we experience. When somebody dies, that experience part of the equation is no longer there - so relief can not happen.

I'm not trying to convince you of anything, I just think that these two insights are important in formulating your position. I'm still not totally sure what I believe.

[osuracakima]

• Reading philosophy and waiting for the sun to touch me •

[autumn-tide]

“Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.”

― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

[thegr8depression]

“If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.”

- Jean-Paul Sartre

*** Photography is my own ***

[the-weed-and-read]

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion” - Albert Camus

[miccillian]

Don't live in hindsight but always reflect. 🏴‍☠️ #miccillian #captncillian #pirate #celtic #folk #seashanties #sca #societyforcreativeanachronism #bard #bardic #canada #mentalhealthawareness #moralityandethics #philosophy #poetry (at Waterloo, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp9dLTis1n6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[professoredu]

I will do philosophy, psychology, sociology and religion projects, essays, assignments, coursework and more

[ahiddenprophet]

Peace, not war

The key to stopping Russia, China, and America's competition over global power is by introducing the possibility for safety and security, food, shelter, and safety for all. No more need for global power. Everybody should keep their militaries because it prevents more war, but we all collectively need to bring about a culture of compassion in humanity. Of peace, not war. So many people die, and for what? We have the resources and the knowledge for every human alive to have a long, safe, and fulfilling life.

It's an infrastructure and logistics issue that when solved will end all major wars. The world will be united. It's a hard problem, but it's a problem we need to solve eventually and all other problems will be so much easier afterwards.

People's mindsets need to change. We need to love and respect each other and make sure we all have the opportunity to live a long, healthy, active life and find fulfilled-ness. It will require a lot of effort and thinking to make this happen, but this is what civilization has been building to.

It will be hard for sure. Easing tensions between different nations and beliefs can be aided by technological, social, and medical development; finding what works and sharing how everybody can do it. It would also be helpful for this development if we start working together in the meantime, or at least stop killing each other. Let's just try to find a compromise and stop hurting and killing each other for like, a year. I really think if we all spend a year trying our best, put humanity's minds and arms on finding solutions or creative resolutions to all of humanities problems, we could all be living in Heaven on Earth in ten years. We have the potential, it would be a shame to waste it.

We would find it beneficial to change the mindset of all people to be a little bit more "Canadian"; in Canada, we take a lot of personal pride in being polite, respectful, and empathetic. We're not always great at it, but these ideals are something all humans should aspire to.

If we do not adopt and perpetuate this mindset, I have concern about the future of weaponry. Already, humanity has enough nuclear bombs to wipe out the planet. Pandora's box has been opened and cannot be closed back up. Unfortunately, as long as there is human innovation, more and more monsters will be released. Even nowadays, at the beginning of what humanity will become, individuals or small groups already cause so much needless death, pain, and suffering. For the earth to be around for our grandchildren, for all of the people who die to war, school shootings, addiction, lack of resources, and crime, we need to help change the way we think. Otherwise, once more devastating technology becomes more accessible, all it will take is a small group of angry people to end the world.

We need to all learn to share, figure out how to most effectively make peace happen, and then celebrate our new utopia with a good meal.

Hey! You reading this! Think about the world you want to see. What problems are big and interesting to you? You might find it fulfilling to think about what you could do to solve it in your lifetime. Don't necessarily put that much pressure on yourself; at the end of the day, this is your only life, so take it easy sometimes and just breathe. Live a life that's fulfilling and happy for you, and try to do a bit of good when you have the chance. But know that you have more power and potential than you believe. No matter how you feel right now, know that you are stronger and have more potential than can possibly imagine.

[in-sightpublishing]

Politics in Canada 1: Jacques Boudreau on the Libertarian Party of Canada

                    Publisher: In-Sight Publishing Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014 Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada Journal: In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal Journal Founding: August 2, 2012 Frequency: Three (3) Times Per Year Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed Access: Electronic/Digital & Open…

[jcmarchi]

A Deep Dive Into BioWare's Companion Design Philosophy In Dragon Age: The Veilguard

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/a-deep-dive-into-biowares-companion-design-philosophy-in-dragon-age-the-veilguard/

A Deep Dive Into BioWare's Companion Design Philosophy In Dragon Age: The Veilguard

During my visit to BioWare in its Edmonton, Canada, office earlier this year for the current Game Informer cover story on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I heard a sentiment repeated throughout the day from the game’s leads: in past Dragon Age games, BioWare stumbled onto great companions, but with Veilguard, it’s the first game where the studio feels it purposefully and intentionally created great companions. As such, those companions are key to everything happening in Veilguard. 

With such a significant emphasis on these characters, I spoke to some of the game’s leads to learn precisely about BioWare’s philosophy on companions in Veilguard. 

[embedded content]

“No, that is the case,” BioWare general manager Gary McKay tells me when I ask if he agrees with the stumbled-onto-greatness sentiment. “I would first start with Dragon Age – each installment in this franchise has been different, so we didn’t set out to make a game that was a sequel or the same game as before. We really wanted to do something different and we did push the envelope in a couple of areas, companions being one of them. Once we got knee deep into it, we really realized we had something special with these companions, again, around the motivations, the story arc, and it really started to become the centerpiece for this game.” 

The Philosophy Behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Companions

Game director Corinne Busche agrees, adding that Veilguard’s companions are “the most fully realized complex companions we’ve ever crafted.” She also believes they’re the Dragon Age series’ best. “They’re complicated, they have complicated problems, and that’s what’s interesting,” she continues. “As much as I adore the companions and the journeys I’ve been on with them in past Dragon Age titles – previously, it feels like companions are going on an adventure with me, the main character, whether it’s the Hero of Ferelden or Hawke, you name it. But in [Veilguard], in many ways, the companions are so fleshed out that it feels as though I’m going on a journey with them. I’m exploring how they think and feel; I’m helping them through their problems. We’re working through their unique character arcs. They feel like my dear friends, and I absolutely adore them.”

Busche says these companions participate in the game’s darker and more optimistic parts. “We’ve really moved into a place where you can have the highest of highs, and it can be colorful, it can be optimistic, but also, you can have the lowest of lows where it gets gritty, it gets painful, it gets quite dark. But throughout it all, there is a sense of optimism. And it creates this delightful throughline throughout the game.” 

When I ask creative director John Epler about BioWare’s philosophy behind Veilguard’s companions, he reveals a phrase the studio uses: Dragon Age is about characters, not causes. 

“What that means for us is […] let’s take the Grey Wardens, for example – the Grey Wardens are an interesting faction but by themselves, they don’t tell a story, but there are characters within that faction that do,” he tells me. “And the same thing with other characters in the story. They represent these factions, they show the face of the other parts of Thedas and of the storytelling we really want to do, which, again, shows Thedas as this large, diverse living world that has things going on when you’re not there.”

Epler says one of BioWare’s principles when creating Veilguard was that the world exists even when you – Rook – are not around. There are things, ancient conflicts, grudges, and more, that happen even when Rook isn’t participating in them, he says. 

“You kind of come in ‘in media res’ in some of these, so that’s where we wanted to go with the companions,” he says. “They have stories of their own. Where can Rook come into these stories, and what interesting ways can those stories develop not just based on themselves but also based on Rook’s presence within them?”

Dragon Age series art director Matt Rhodes adds that companions are the load-bearing pillars for everything in Veilguard, so “when you’re designing them, it’s not just designing a character; they’re the face for their faction, the face for, in [some cases like Bellara Lutara], an entire area of the world.” From his aesthetic-forward part of developing companions in Veilguard as the game’s art director, he tells me Veilguard’s characters are (hopefully) going to give cosplayers a challenge. 

“The previous art director had the mindset we should make things easier for [cosplayers], which I think is a misunderstanding of cosplayers,” Rhodes says. “We’ve seen the kind of challenges they’re willing to take on, and so we’ve gone for, in some cases, a level of complexity and detail that I hope a lot of them are excited to rise to the challenge for.” 

A Quick Detour: Neve Gallus

As Neve Gallus is the companion I spent the most time with during my visit to BioWare, I asked Epler about this character and her role in the game. Here’s what I learned: “So Neve is a private investigator in Minrathous. Minrathous is the capital city of the Tevinter Empire. It’s also a mage-ocracy; mages run the entirety of the Empire – they’re all-powerful. A lot of them still believe in slavery, they keep slaves, it’s a very oppressive, totalitarian regime. And Neve is a member of the Shadow Dragons, which is a rebel faction within Thedas that fights back against this mage-ocracy, fights back against this oppressive, very damaging regime that’s taken over the city, because she believes there’s good, and she is there for the common people. So if you’re not a mage in Tevinter, you are lower than dirt for a lot of people. She and the Shadow Dragons, in general, fight back, but Neve, in particular, is this character that represents this more, ‘voice of the streets, the voice of the common people.’ In previous Dragon Age games, you go to Orlais, you meet Emperor Celene, you meet Briala; we wanted to have a character that showed not just what is Tevinter at the top, but what is the average person who lives in Tevinter. And she is very much about, again, fighting oppression, fighting tyranny and, as a private investigator, finding clues and ways through problems that aren’t maybe as action-focused as some of the other companions.”

Companions, In And Out Of Combat 

Rook’s companions in Veilguard have roles both in and out of combat, but since I only saw a few hours of this game (which is sure to be multiple dozens of hours long), I wanted to ask Busche about these roles and how they play out. Here’s what I learned: 

In Combat

Bushce: “So companions as realized characters, we have to take that premise when we talk about how they show up in combat. These are their own people. They have their own behaviors; they have their own autonomy on the battlefield; they’ll pick their own targets. As their plots progress, they’ll learn how to use their abilities more competently, and it really feels like you’re fighting alongside these realized characters in battle. So I love that, I love the believability of it. It feels like we’re all in it together. 

“But then when it comes time for the strategy, and the progression I might add, that’s where a sense of teamwork comes into play as the leader of this party as Rook. When I open the ability wheel, I almost feel like we’re huddling up. We’re coming up with a game plan together. I see all the abilities that Harding has, and I see all that Bellara is capable of, and sometimes I’m using vulnerabilities synergistically. Maybe I’m slowing time with Bellara so that I can unleash devastating attacks with Harding, knocking down the enemy, and then me as Rook, rushing in and capitalizing on this setup they’ve created for me. It is a game about creating this organic sense of teamwork. 

“Now, there are more explicit synergies as well. We very much have intentional combos where your companions can play off each other, you can queue up abilities between them, and each of those abilities will go off and have their effect. But it results in this massive detonation where you get enhanced effects, debuff the entire battlefield, all because of planning and teamwork. What makes it really cool is you can introduce Rook into that equation as well. One of my favorite things to do is upgrade some of Harding’s abilities so she will automatically use some of these abilities that normally I’d have to instruct her to do. And she’ll actually set my character up to execute that combo that, again, has that detonation effect.” 

[embedded content]

Outside Combat

Busche: “It’s one of my favorite topics. I talked about the idea that these are fully realized characters, that they’re very authentic and relatable. So outside of combat, what that means is they’re going to have their own concerns, fears, distractions, and indeed, even their own sanctuaries, their own personal spaces. In our base of operations this time, our player hub, the Lighthouse, each of the companions has their own room. And what I love about it is it becomes a reflection of who they are. The more time you spend with them, as the game develops as you work through their arc, their room and their personalities will evolve and flourish and become more complete as they trust you more and you understand them better. 

“What’s interesting, you mentioned romance, the companions also develop romantically and I’m not just talking about with the main character Rook; I’m talking about each other. There are moments in the game where two of our companions fell in love with each other and I had to make some pretty challenging choices as it related to the quest we’re on. And it broke my heart, it absolutely did [Editor’s Note: I get the sense Busche is talking about a specific playthrough of Veilguard here – not a definitive sequence of events for every playthrough]. 

“So I would say, as you’re adventuring with them, as you’re returning to the Lighthouse and getting to know them – all these decisions and conversations and things you learn about them – it endears them to you in a way that I honestly haven’t experienced before. And sometimes that fills me with joy and sometimes it breaks my heart.” 

For more about the game, including exclusive details, interviews, video features, and more, click the Dragon Age: The Veilguard hub button below.

[thejohnfleming]

The soldier saved from Christianity by the strip club owner - Part 2 of 3...

Dave Hughes continues his story (which started HERE) of his association with future Canadian cultural icon Don Cullen and the Le Strip ‘burlesque’ club in Toronto in the 1980s and 1990s… Dave Hughes – soldier The armored car job plus the part time job I had working for a former police colleague in the alarm system business just wasn’t enough. And so, I became the ‘relief’ cashier at Le Strip. I…

[copela4692]

Fratelli Tutti - Dialogue and Friendship in Society

In order to mark the 30th anniversary of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, Pope Francis requested that CAPP members and friends read, study, and promote his encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship. In response to this request, CAPP-Canada organized a series of monthly Fratelli Tutti Study Sessions, running from September 2023 to April 16, led by Dr.…

[thquill]

On Stronger Mayor Powers

ACCORDING to Municipal Affairs and Housing, stronger mayoral powers are needed to “cut the red tape” to get necessary services built faster. Then again, why is there any “red tape” to begin with? Housing, much like any other service, is (and ought) to be based on consumer sovereignty in that the preferences for a particular service simply emerge without relying on the government to procure…